All three landfill expansion plans to be resubmitted to Legco
Shelved Tseung Kwan O dump extension to be revived, says Carrie Lam, signalling new battle
The plan to expand the landfill in Tseung Kwan O is to be resubmitted to the Legislative Council, along with expansion proposals for landfills in Tuen Mun and Ta Kwu Ling, after the legislature's summer recess, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said yesterday.
But Sai Kung district councillors said it was still unlikely lawmakers would approve the expansion at Tseung Kwan O.
Lam's announcement came after Legco passed a motion on Friday to adjourn debate on funding to extend the landfills in Tuen Mun and Ta Kwu Ling.
The Tseung Kwan O proposal had been shelved earlier after residents expressed strong opposition to it.
Lam said yesterday that the government would visit the districts and gather more residents' views on the expansion plans in the coming months.
"We can't give up extensions to any of the three landfills, so we hope when we submit the plans again, we can table all three together," she said. "I hope the public will understand that the blueprint for the sustainable use of resources is a 10-year plan, so it's not practical to expect a marked result in the short term."
Gary Fan Kwok-wai, a NeoDemocrats legislator and Sai Kung district councillor, said there was little room for discussion of the expansion plan in Tseung Kwan O. "It will just force us to restage protests," he said. "I can't see how they will be able to implement compensatory measures in a short period of time."
